New Delhi: Upping the ante on their demand for immediate implementation of the “One Rank One Pension” scheme, a fast-unto-death was launched by two ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar here, while 10 former service chiefs wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi voicing “dismay” over the political leadership’s inability to bring in OROP, and condemning the Delhi police action on the eve of Independence Day against veterans.
Ex-servicemen at Jantar Mantar told reporters they had requested the two ex-servicemen, Col Pushpender Singh and Havildar M. Singh, both retired, not to take this step but they had not relented.
“Col Pushpender Singh and Havildar M. Singh have undertaken a fast unto death from Monday,” Col. Anil Kaul (Retd), media adviser to the United Front of Ex-Servicemen Movement, told reporters, on the 64th day of the relay fast at Jantar Mantar Monday.
In their letter to the Prime Minister, the 10 former chiefs also sought immediate action against the Delhi police for its alleged high-handedness on August 14 against the veterans protesting at Jantar Mantar to demand OROP implementation.
The letter, signed by former Army chiefs V.N. Sharma, Shankar Roychowdhury, S. Padmanabhan, N.C. Vij, J.J. Singh, Deepak Kapoor and Bikram Singh, regretted that Mr Modi did not announce implementation of OROP in his Independence Day address on August 15, dashing the hopes of ex-servicemen.
